Netflix has gone all-in on its forthcoming collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, according to a new report.
Written by Tarantino, directed by David Fincher, and starring Brad Pitt, The Adventures of Cliff Booth is expected this summer, a sequel to Tarantino’s 2019 entry Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This installment will follow Pitt’s titular stuntman, who navigates a new job in 1970s Hollywood, also starring Timothy Olyphant, Carla Gugino, Elizabeth Debicki, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. But Cliff Booth apparently has a mountain to climb to be successful.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — which is led by Leonardo DiCaprio as the fictional actor whom Cliff serves as a stunt double for, with Margot Robbie also starring as Sharon Tate — was produced on a budget of $90 million and went on to gross $377 million at the worldwide box office and be nominated for 10 Oscars. According to reports, The Adventures of Cliff Booth‘s price tag is closer to $200 million.
Significantly, a new report says that the leading man and main creatives alone account for 40% of the movie’s expenses. According to Puck, “Brad Pitt is making $40 million to star and produce, per several sources, director David Fincher is getting $20 million and writer-producer Quentin Tarantino was paid more than $20 million for a one-picture license to make the movie from his script.”
Some of the other high-profile stars involved with the project may also have received substantial salaries (though probably not $40 million). By traditional box office standards, a $200 million budget means it would have to gross around $500 million to be profitable. Overblown budgets have derailed recent acclaimed and popular movies — 2026 Best Picture winner One Battle After Another was technically a huge financial flop.
However, The Adventures of Cliff Booth‘s success is not to be measured by the box office, as Netflix, as always, will give it an awards-qualifying theatrical release before it arrives on the streaming platform, where the bulk of their profits come from. Cliff Booth will likely be a hit on Netflix, as most buzzy releases with major stars tend to be once they are made readily available on streaming.
But it remains to be seen whether Netflix can achieve the critical acclaim it is likely hoping for by investing in such a project. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stands among Tarantino’s best movies, which launched Margot Robbie’s prestige career and elevated Brad Pitt’s legacy with his Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor.
The Adventures of Cliff Booth still comes across as an unnecessary sequel, and people aren’t sure what to expect with Tarantino handing over the director’s responsibilities to David Fincher, who is a cinematic mastermind in his own right, known for The Social Network, Gone Girl, Seven, and Zodiac, but has a very different style from Tarantino.
The Adventures of Cliff Booth will release in theaters and on Netflix in August 2026.
